Adjustable hanger device for sliding doors



May 11, 1965 A. E. WlTTEN ADJUSTABLE HANGER DEVICE FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed March 18, 1963 INVENTORJ ALvml E. WH'TEN BY faz mm+hg A TTOP/VEYS United States Patent "ice 3,1sz,ssa ADJUSTABLE HANGER DEVICE 1 6R SLIDING DOURS Alvin E. Witten, 1007 Woodland Drive, Gastonia, NS. Filed Mar. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 265,723 3 Claims. (Cl. 16105) This invention relates generally to door hardware, and more particularly to improvements in a hanger device for mounting a door for sliding movement along a track in which the hanger device is adjustable for properly alining the door with respect to the opening provided therefor.

Hanger devices which are intended to provide for proper mounting of a door for sliding movement along a track are well known in the art. Maintenance of proper alinement of the door over a period of time is difficult to achieve, however, because of commonly occurring warping of the door and the supporting structure therefor, as well as settling of the building structure in which the door is installed. For these reasons, hanger devices for mounting a sliding door have been generally made adjustable in order that the door may be repositioned to correct misalinement of the door caused by warping and settling.

Adjustable hanger devices heretofore known invariably are difficult to operate in effecting the desired adjustment thereof. In this respect, it has been found necessary in many adjustable hanger devices to include some form of locking mechanism in order to retain the hanger devices in a selected adjusted position. In time, the locking mechanism may become set so as to greatly hinder any susequent adjustment of the hanger device which may be required.

Typically, known adjustable hanger devices comprise a multiple number of parts, many of which must undergo some form of movement to effect the desired adjustment of such hanger devices. Periodic adjustment is therefore likely to cause excessive wear of the parts of the hanger device which results in reduced effectiveness of the hanger device in maintaining the door in a properly alined position so that the door may be easily moved along its supporting track. The cumbersome nature of such multipart adjustable hanger devices is itself a factor adding to the difliculties encountered in effecting a desired adjustment of such hanger devices.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved adjustable hanger device for a sliding door, wherein the hanger device is of simplified construction and may be easily adjusted to properly aline the door with respect to its supporting track without disassembling the door or the track therefor.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved adjustable hanger device for sliding doors which is retained in a selected adjusted position without requiring a special locking mechanism to prevent movement from the selected adjusted position.

It is another more specific object of this invention to provide a new and improved adjustable hanger device for mounting a door for sliding movement along a track which hanger device comprises a base member aflixed to the door adjacent an end edge thereof and a hanger member carrying track-engaging roller means, wherein the hanger member is supported for sliding movement rela tive to the base member by a lateral flange thereon received in an elongated recess provided in the base member, the lateral flange accurately alining the hanger memher with respect to the base member and guiding the slid ing movement of the hanger member in order to easily and quickly effect a desired adjustment between the hanger member and the base member by rotating an ad- 3,132,323 Patented May 11, 1965 justment screw carried by the base member and threadably penetrating the lateral flange of the hanger member.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the improved adjustable hanger device in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the adjustable hanger device; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the adjustable hanger device as assembled on a door for mounting the door for sliding movement along a track.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, there is illustrated an adjustable hanger device in accordance with the present invention which comprises a base member or mounting bracket 16, a hanger member 11, an adjustment means 12. for effecting adjustment between the base member 10 and the hanger member 11, and a cover or plate member 13 cooperating with the base member 10 to enclose a portion of the hanger member 11 therebetween.

The base member 10 is substantially rectangular in shape, having rounded lower corners and including a pair of spaced lateral lugs 14 extending at right angles to the main portion thereof and being respectively disposed adjacent the upper corners of the base member 10. The base member 10 further includes an outwardly offset central section which comprises a slightly elevated frame 15 and an elongated raised portion 16 of increased elevation bounded on all but its lower end by the frame 15. It will be observed that the central section of the base member 10 comprising the frame 15 and the elongated raised portion 16 is outwardly offset in the opposite direction from the lugs 14. The raised portion 16 has longitudinally extending side walls 17 and transverse end walls 18 and defines an elongated recess 19 in the base member 10. The lower end wall 18 of the raised portion 16 adjoins the lower marginal portion of the base member 10. A notch 20 for receiving the adjustment means 12 is provided in the base member 10, the notch 20 having an enlarged mouth formed in the lower marginal portion of the base member 10 and tapering inwardly to a narrow notch portion extending into the lower end wall 18 of the raised portion 16.

The hanger member 11 comprises a main body portion 25 having a vertically extending central slot 26 and an outwardly extending lateral flange 27 on the lower end of the body portion 25. The lateral flange 27 extends at right angles to the body portion 25, being located intermediate the side edges of the body portion 25 so as to lie transversely with respect to the vertical slot 26. The hanger member 11 further includes an upper vertical arm 30 parallel to the body portion 25 and inwardly oifset therefrom, with the upper arm 30 and the body portion 25 being joined together by an integral lateral connector web 31. The top portion of the upper arm 30 carries a rotatable roller 32 which may be made of nylon or similar material, the roller 32 being adapted to engage and roll along a longitudinally extending track T.

The adjustment means 12 comprises a screw having an enlarged slotted head 35 with an elongated stem extending therefrom, the stem including a threaded stem portion 36 spaced from the head 35 and an intermediate smooth or non-threaded stem portion 37 connecting the threaded stem portion 36 to the head 35. It will be observed in FIGURE 2 that a pair of circular abutment collars 38 are formed at opposite ends of the non-threaded stem portion 37 and cooperate therewith to define an annular groove 39 in the elongated stem of the screw 12;

I The cover or plate member 13 is substantially rec tangular in shape, having rounded lower corners and conforming to the outline of the base member 10. The cover 13 further includes integral inturned marginal lips 49 along the opposite sides thereof to define inwardly directed channels for slidably receiving the marginal side edges of the base member 11 In assembling the hanger device, the body portion 25 of the hanger member 11 is slidably received within a shallow niche definedby the slight elevation of the frame 15 in the outwardly offset central section of the base member 1%, with. the lateral flange 27 of the hanger member 11 being slidably received by the recess 19 defined by the raised portion 16 in the outwardly offset central section of the base member 10. It will be understood that the hanger member 11 may be slidably associated with the base member in the manner described either prior to or subsequent to the mounting of the cover 13 on the base member 141 with the marginal side edges of the base member 19 being slidably received within the channels formed by the internal marginal lips 49 of the cover 13. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, respectively, the lateral flange 27 of the hanger member 11 terminates adjacent the outwardly disposed bottom wall of the raised portion 16 of the base member 1% and has opposite side edges adjacent the side walls 17 of the raised portion 16 to provide an alinement guide for the hanger member 11 in undergoing relative rectilinear movement with respect to the base member 10 between a plurality of adjusted positions. The side edges of the body portion 25 of the hangermember 11 lie closely adjacent the side walls of the slightly elevated frame defining the boundaries of the shallow niche in the base member 10 which further aids in maintaining proper alinement between the base member 1% and the hanger member 11.

The adjustment screw 12 is provided to hold the hanger member 11 in a selected adjustable position with respect to the base member 19 and the cover plate 13 which at least partially enclose the body portion of the hanger 4. sired direction. The hanger member 11 is guided for proper rectilinear movement with respect to the base member 18/ and the cover 13 during the adjustment of the hanger device by the lateral flange 27 which is disposed within the recess 19 and defined byth'e raised portion 16 of the base member 1%.

In mounting a door for movement along a track, two hanger devices will normally be provided with the hanger devices being respectively locatednear. the opposite ends of the edge of the door positioned in proximity to the track. As shown in FIGURE 5, each hanger device is afiixed to the door D adjacent the end edge thereof by suitable fastener means, such as screws S, which may extend through 'alined apertures 50, 51 respectively formed in the base member 10 and the cover 13 on the opposite sides thereof. The rounded lower corners of the assembled base member 10 and cover 13 eliminate sharp corners which are frequently responsible for injuries to the hands of a person engaged in installing or adjusting a hanger device. The hanger device is secured to the door D with the lugs 14 of the base member 10 in engagement with the end edge of the door D adjacent the track T along which the door D is to be slidably movable. The door D is hung from the track T by disposing the roller 32 of each hanger device in the track T. Proper alines ment of the door D can be quickly accomplished by adjustment of the hanger devices employed to mount the door D for movement along the track T,.such adjustment being effected in the manner previously described.

The hanger member 11 of the hanger device constructed in accordance with my invention remains in its selected adjustable position without requiring the hanger device to be equipped with a special lockingmechanism to. retain the hanger member 11in its seiected adjustable position relative to the base member 1% and the cover 13. Moreover, the adjustment screw 12 and the. lateral flange 27 on the body portion 25 of the hanger member 11 are substantially confined withinthe recess19 defined by the raised portion 16 of the base member 10 and thereby are relatively free from the accumulation of .foreign matter thereon to insure. that the hanger device may be member 11. The screw 12 is carried by the base member 1 adjustment screw 12 is thereby 'journaled in the base member 11 for rotation with respect thereto, but is restrained against axial or longitudinal movement in elther direction with respect to the base member 10 by the circu- .20 to overlie portions of the lower end wall 18 of the raised portion 16 into which the notch 20 extends; The

lar abutrnent collars 38 disposed on opposite sides of the lower end wall 13 of the raised portion 16 in partially overlying relationship therewith.

The lateral flange 27 of the hanger member 11 which is slidably mounted within the recess 19 defined by the raised portion 16 of the base member 16 is provided with a a threaded aperture 45 through which the threaded stem portion 36 of the adjustment screw 12 extends. Upon rotating the screw 12 in either direction, the hanger member 11' is adjusted with respect to the base member 10 and the cover 13 by moving upwardly or downwardly along the threaded stem portion 36 of the adjustment screw 12 to the selected adjustable position. This ad inserting a suitable tool, such as a screwdriver, in'the slot of the enlarged head 35 of the adjustment screw 12 and thereatterrotatingthe adjustment screw 12 in the de- 'justment of the hanger device can bereadily elfected by V readily adjusted over long periods of time without requiring repair. 7

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific tenns are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims:

I claim:

1. A hanger. device for mounting a door for movement along a longitudinally extending track, said device comprising (a) a .base member adapted to be affixed to the door adjacent one end edge thereof,

(b) saidbase member having a centrally positioned, elongated raised port-ion outwardly offset from the remainder of said base member and adapted .to be spaced. outwardly of the. door, f i

(c) said raised portion defining an inwardly opening elongated recess in said base member,

(d) a hanger member carrying track-engageable roller means and comprising 7 (l) a body portion positioned in juxtaposition to said base member and located between said base member and the door, and V (2) an outwardly extending lateral flange on said body'portion; I f

(e) said lateral flange being received in the elongated recess defined in said base member and'h aving opposite side'edges adjacent to the sidewalls of said recess provided by said raised portion to aline said hanger member for guided sliding movement with respect to said basememberyand (f) a single movable, adjustment and retaining means carried by an end wall of said raised portion and connected to said lateral flange for securing said banger member to said base member in a selected adjustable position.

2. A hanger device for mounting a door for movement along a longitudinally extending track, said device comprising (a) a base member adapted to be affixed to the door adjacent one end edge thereof,

(b) said base member having an outwardly offset central section adapted to be spaced outwardly of the door said outwardly offset central section comprising (1) a slightly elevated frame, and

(2) a raised portion of increased elevation with respect to said frame and extending centrally thereof;

(0) said raised portion being bounded by said frame on all but one end wall thereof and defining an inwardly opening elongated recess in said base member,

(d) said frame defining an inwardly opening shallow niche in said base member,

(6) a hanger member carrying track-engageable roller means and comprising 1) a body portion located between said base member and the door at least partially received in the shallow niche defined by said frame of said base member for guided sliding movement with respect thereto, and

(2) an outwardly extending lateral flange on said body portion;

(3) said lateral flange being received in the elongated recess defined in said base member and having opposite side edges adjacent to the side Walls of said recess provided by said raised pontion to aline said hanger member for guided sliding movement with respect to said base member,

(g) movable adjustment means carried by said one end 10 (j) means restricting axial movement of said screw relative to said base member, whereby rotation of said screw causes said lateral flange to move Within said recess for adjusting the position of said hanger member with respect to said base member.

3. A hanger device as set forth in claim 2, further including (k) a cover securedto said base member, and

(I) said cover having a shape complementary to said base member and being positioned on the inwardly disposed face thereof to enclose the portion of said body portion of said hanger member received in the shallow niche in the base member and the lateral flange received in the recess in the base member between said cover and said base member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 862,561 8/07 Hunt 16-105 890,950 6/08 Washburn 16105 949,076 2/10 Jacobs 16105 1,852,854 4/32 Norring 292341.19 2,940,112 6/60 Riser 16-406 2,959,807 11/60 Johns on 16-87 3,041,657 7/62 McNinch 16-105 DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent NO, 3, 182,350 May 11, 1965 Alvin I5. Witten It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 24, for "internal" read inturncd line 4 strike out "20 to overlie portions of the lower end wall 18 of the" and insert instead 20 receives the screw 12 at the annular groove 39 decolumn 4 line 5, strike out "and"! Signed and sealed this 5th day of October 1965.

(SEAL) Allest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J BRENNER Altcsting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A HANGER DEVICE FOR MOUNTING A DOOR FOR MOVEMENT M ALONG A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING TRACK, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING (A) A BASE MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE AFFIXED TO THE DOOR ADJACENT ONE END EDGE THEREOF, (B) SAID BASE MEMBER HAVING A CENTRALLY POSITIONED, ELONGATED RAISED PORTION OUTWARDLY OFFSET FROM THE REMAINDER OF SAID BASE MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO BE SPACED OUTWARDLY OF THE DOOR, (C) SAID RAISED PORTION DEFINING AN INWARDLY OPENING ELONGATED RECESS IN SAID BASE MEMBER, (D) A HANGER MEMBER CARRYING TRACK-ENGAGEABLE ROLLER MEANS AND COMPRISING (1) A BODY PORTION POSITIONED IN JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID BASE MEMBER AND LOCATED BETWEEN SAID BASE MEMBER AND THE DOOR, AND (2) AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING LATERAL FLANGE ON SAID BODY PORTION; (E) SAID LATERAL FLANGE BEING RECEIVED IN THE ELONGATED RECESS DEFINED IN SAID BASE MEMBER AND HAVING OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES ADJACENT TO THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID RECESS PROVIDED BY SAID RAISED PORTION TO ALINE SAID HANGER MEMBER FOR GUIDED SLIDING MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID BASE MEMBER, AND (F) A SINGLE MOVABLE ADJUSTMENT AND RETAINING MEANS CARRIED BY AN END WALL OF SAID RAISED PORTION AND CONNECTED TO SAID LATERAL FLANGE FOR SECURING SAID HANGER MEMBER TO SAID BASE MEMBER IN A SELECTED ADJUSTABLE POSITION. 